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DETROIT -- His first brush with NHL life having been a resounding success, Maple Leafs rookie wonder boy Luke Schenn was walking through the bowels of Joe Louis Arena en route to the team bus when coach Ron Wilson called him over.

"Hey Luke, I want you to meet someone," Wilson said, still beaming after the Leafs' improbable 3-2 victory over the mighty Detroit Red Wings.

The "someone" in question? None other than Mr. Hockey, Gordie Howe.

The Rookie and The Legend shook hands and briefly exchanged pleasantries. The 18-year-old kid and the 80-year-old Hall of Famer.

Obviously, Schenn must have been overwhelmed, having played his first NHL regular-season game, then meeting Howe, a fellow native of Saskatchewan and arguably the greatest athlete ever to come out of that province.

Guess again. The Saskatoon native politely kept his composure as usual, even in the presence of such an NHL great.

"Nice man," he said. "I met him before, at Game 2 of the NHL final here last spring."

Once again, it was an example of Luke Schenn being, well, Luke Schenn.

Taking everything in stride. Not being intimated by his surroundings. Seeing the big picture. Acting like a seasoned veteran, not someone who had just made his regular-season debut as a Leaf.

"It was fun," said Schenn, who, while partnered with veteran Tomas Kaberle, played 27 shifts and received 17:20 of ice time. "I actually wasn't as nervous as I thought I might be."

No worries. There were plenty of onlookers in The Luke Schenn Fan Club across North America who had many more butterflies than he did.

Like in Saskatoon, where his father, Jim, watched his son's big game at the family home.

Like in Brandon, Man., where his brother, Brayden, 17, a forward with the WHL's Wheat Kings, perched himself in front of the tube to watch Luke strut his stuff against the Wings.

And in St. Louis, where Nashville defenceman Shea Weber, in the Gateway City for the Predators season opener tonight against the Blues, was scrambling to find any joint that was showing the game.

While they were in three different cities, all three men shared a common desire: To enjoy Schenn's memorable night.

Because they could not get a flight in time for the game, Jim and Rita Schenn, Luke's mother, remained in Saskatoon, where they clicked on Hockey Night in Canada to proudly see their son's success.

"I don't like having a huge amount of people around when I'm watching," Jim Schenn said. "I like to see the game.

"The past few days have been amazing, with ticket requests and all. You have no idea how many long lost cousins were looking for a pair.

"Seriously, it's been great. He's worked a long time for this."

'THAT'S SPECIAL'

Jim and Rita will join Luke's sisters, Madison and Macy, in Toronto tomorrow to attend Schenn's first regular-season home game, a date against the fabled Montreal Canadiens at the Air Canada Centre.

A six hour drive east of Saskatoon, Brayden was thinking about the days that he and Luke played on the backyard rink as kids, pretending to be NHL players.

Last night, Luke didn't need to pretend. He was one.

"My (Wheat King) teammates and I were talking after practice about how cool this is for Luke," Brayden said.

"I mean, to see the Stanley Cup banner go up the night of your first game, that's special."

Brayden, for the record, is projected to be a top-five pick in the 2009 entry draft, following in the footsteps of Luke, who was selected fifth overall by Toronto in June.

Schenn was drafted out of Kelowna where, during his first season with the WHL's Rockets, his roommate was Shea Weber.

"I'm really happy for Luke," Weber said in a text message yesterday afternoon. "It is really well deserved! I actually talked to him the other day to congratulate him."

Schenn had better get accustomed to receiving many more such kudos if he keeps this up.